Archive for November, 2014

Toledo secured an impressive 69-54 victory over Arizona in Sunday’s championship game of the Florida International University Thanksgiving Classic in Miami. With the win, UT improves to 3-2 on the season.

The Toledo Rockets won the Florida International University Thanksgiving Classic in Miami. UT beat Arizona, 69-54, and Virginia, 64-62.

Senior Inma Zanoguera garnered tournament MVP accolades for the victorious Rockets and tied her career high for the second-straight contest, finishing with 24 points, seven boards, four helpers and three thefts.

During the two-game tourney, Zanoguera contributed 24.0 points, 6.0 caroms, 7.0 dimes and 1.5 steals in 38.0 minutes. The two-time All-Mid-American Conference performer shot a combined 13 of 18 from the floor and a flawless 18 of 18 from the free-throw line to help the Midnight Blue and Gold claim its 10th pre-conference tourney crown in school history.

Junior Ana Capotosto added 13 points and freshman all-tourney performer Michaela Rasmussen tacked on 11 points versus the Wildcats to propel Toledo to back-to-back wins for the first time this season. The Rockets defeated ACC member Virginia, 64-62, in the first round of the tourney Friday.

As a team, the Rockets shot 43.8 percent (21 of 48) from the floor, including 21.1 percent (4 of 19) from three-point range, and a sizzling 88.5 percent (23 of 26) from the free-throw line.

Malena Washington paced Arizona (2-3) with 12 points off the bench, followed by Keyahndra Cannon and LaBrittney Jones with 11 and 10, respectively.

The Wildcats looked sharp early and raced out to an 11-4 lead at the 12:11 mark. Dejza James and Jones combined for seven of the points to create a three-possession cushion.

UT then started to warm up at both ends of the court and ended the first half on an 18-6 run to create a 28-22 advantage at the intermission. Zanoguera scored the team’s final eight points and 10 total in the game-changing stretch to open up a six-point cushion at the half.

With the offense clicking, Toledo turned up the intensity defensively and limited Arizona to just one field goal over the final 5:30 of the period and never looked back.

Toledo kept the edge to start the second half and scored the first seven points to extend the margin to 35-22 with 18:18 remaining in regulation. Capotosto capped the run with a traditional three-point play to establish a double-digit lead.

The Rockets remained focused as the second period wore on and strung together an 11-0 run to put the game out reach, 49-29, at the 8:57 mark. UT never let the lead fall below 13 points for the remainder of regulation to post the impressive 15-point triumph.

Toledo put on a defensive clinic after a hot start offensively from Arizona and held the Pac-12 affiliate to 32.8 percent (19 of 58) from the field, including 18.8 percent (3 of 16) from three-point land.

The Rockets return to the hardwood on Wednesday, Dec. 10, at Atlantic 10 power Dayton. The opening tip against the Flyers is slated for 11 a.m.

Senior Inma Zanoguera drained a three-point field goal with 5.0 seconds left to lift Toledo to a 64-62 come-from-behind victory against Virginia Friday in the opening round of the Florida International University Thanksgiving Classic in Miami.

Inma Zanoguera scored 24 points to lead the Rockets to victory over Virginia, 64-62.

With the win, the Rockets improve to 2-2 on the season.

UT now will play Pac-12 Conference member Arizona in the championship game of the two-day tourney Sunday, Nov. 30, at 11:30 a.m.

The Wildcats defeated the host Panthers, 65-58, in Friday’s other first-round matchup.

With the Rockets trailing by one point and only 13 seconds left on the clock, Zanoguera took the ball the length of the court and buried her collegiate-best fourth triple from the left wing to hand the Cavaliers (4-1) their first loss of the season.

Virginia’s Mikayla Venson had a chance to win the game in regulation with a three-pointer at the buzzer, but her long-range shot was off the mark to the left.

Zanoguera finished with a career-tying best 24 points and a collegiate-high 10 assists to post her 13th career double-double. The fourth-year Rocket played a near perfect game and shot 7 of 9 from the floor, including a flawless 4 of 4 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6 of 6 from the free-throw line in 38 minutes.

Freshman Michaela Rasmussen added season highs with 19 points and eight caroms in 38 minutes. The Chaska, Minn., native was a force inside and posted double figures for a second straight game.

Junior Ana Capotosto also chipped in 11 points, seven boards and one steal to help the Rockets defeat an Atlantic Coast Conference team for the first time since 2011.

As a team, the Rockets shot a season-high 47.8 percent (22 of 46) from the field, including 31.8 percent (7 of 22) from three-point range, and 13 of 19 from the charity stripe. The Midnight Blue and Gold also did a good job of taking care of the ball and finished with 13 helpers and only 12 miscues.

The situation did not look good for the Rockets near the end of regulation as they were down 60-56 at the 1:51 mark. Fortunately for the Midnight Blue and Gold, they ended the game with an 8-2 run to even their overall record.

Capotosto started the rally by splitting a pair of charity tosses. After forcing a Virginia turnover, Zanoguera drained a pair of free throws to make it a one-point difference, 60-59, at the 1:08 mark. The Rockets caused another Virginia miscue and translated it into a field goal by sophomore Janice Monakana to retake the lead, 61-60, with 32 seconds remaining.

Following a timeout, Virginia’s Venson knocked down a jumper to give the lead back to the home team, 62-61, with 13 seconds left and set the stage for Zanoguera’s last-second heroics.

In the first half, the Rockets converted four straight treys to open up an 18-15 cushion at the 9:54 mark. Capotosto sparked the long-range assault with a pair of triples, while Zanoguera and Rasmussen also hit from beyond the arc.

UT then went cold from the field and allowed Virginia to go on an 11-0 burst to make the difference 31-23 lead with 3:09 remaining in the opening period. The Cavaliers took advantage of four points each from Moses and Imovbioh and three by Randolph to build a three-possession lead.

The Rockets’ Rasmussen remained hot to end the first half and scored the teams’ final four points to close the margin to 33-27 at the intermission. The first-year Rocket tallied 11 of UT’s 27 points in the opening half.

Virginia methodically pushed the margin to double figures, 48-38, in the second period on the strength of eight straight points from Randolph with 12:29 left in regulation.

Toledo hung tough, though, and benefitted from an 8-2 burst to trim the deficit to 53-49, prompting the Cavaliers into a timeout at the 6:13 mark. Rasmussen, Zanoguera and Capotosto each tallied points in this time span to make it a two-possession game and give UT a chance in the waning moments of regulation.

With the victory, Toledo (8-4, 7-1 Mid-American Conference) earned a co-West Division championship, sharing the crown with Northern Illinois. NIU, which earlier in the day defeated Western Michigan, won the tiebreaker by virtue of its victory over UT Nov. 11. The Huskies will represent the West Division and play Bowling Green in the MAC Championship Dec. 5.

Woodside, who completed 14 of 18 passes, threw TD passes to five different receivers. Four of his scoring throws came in the first half, which gave Toledo a 42-9 edge at the break.

Sophomore Kareem Hunt rushed for 110 yards and a TD on 22 carries, moving his streak of games with 100 or more yards to 10.

Toledo’s defense kept Eastern Michigan under wraps, holding the Eagles to 215 yards of total offense, including just 119 yards in the first half. UT also picked off two EMU passes in the first half.

The Rocket D got off to a great start when junior Christian Dukes picked off a Reginald Bell pass at the EMU 42-yard line on the first drive of the game. Two plays later, Jones took a sideline screen pass from Woodside 41 yards for the score. Following an EMU three-and-out, Dwight Macon returned a short punt 23 yards to the EMU 48-yard line. Woodside hit senior Justin Olack on the second play of the drive across the middle for a 22-yard score to make the score 14-0 just four minutes into the contest.

Woodside struck again late in the first quarter, hitting junior Kishon Wilcher over the middle for an 89-yard TD to make the score 21-0 with 1:28 left in the first quarter. It was a career-long pass for both Woodside and Wilcher.

EMU got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter on a 10-yard TD pass from Bell to Kris Strange. A missed extra point made the score 21-6. Toledo extended the lead to 28-6 with 5:53 left in the first half on a one-yard run by Hunt. The drive was set up by a 50-yard punt return by Jones.

An interception by junior safety Chaz Whittaker on EMU’s next drive set up Toledo’s fifth touchdown of the half. Whittaker picked off a pass that was deflected by sophomore DeJuan Rogers and UT took over at midfield. Three plays later, sophomore Damion Jones-Moore took it 28 yards to give Toledo a 29-point lead, 35-6, with 4:26 left in the half.

Toledo wasn’t finished, as Woodside hit junior Alonzo Russell for a 59-yard TD with 1:18 remaining to make the score 42-6.

Toledo padded the lead to 45-9 on its first possession of the second half on a 21-yard field goal by Jeremiah Detmer. EMU answered with a seven play, 65-yard drive to cut the lead to 45-16. Bell hit Ryan Brumfield for the TD from 34 yards out.

The Rockets answered with a 79-yard drive capped by Woodside’s fifth TD pass of the game, an 11-yarder to sophomore tight end Michael Roberts with 0:29 left in the third quarter to up the score to 52-16.

The Rockets will wait to find out their bowl game destination. Bowl game assignments will be announced no later than Sunday, Dec. 7.

David Strukel, a lecturer in the UT Department of Communication, was selected as the 2014 Recent Alumni Award recipient for Kent State University’s College of Education, Health and Human Services Fifth Annual Hall of Fame Awards.

Strukel

Strukel received a bachelor’s degree in radio, TV and film from Bowling Green State University in 1993 and a master’s degree in education in 2004 from Kent State.

He is a doctoral candidate in the School of Media and Communication at Bowling Green.

At UT, Strukel has taught several classes, including Mass Communication and Society, TV Newswriting, Audio Production, Persuasion Theory, Professional Business Communication, Public Presentations and Media Performance.

In 2013, he co-designed a flipped Public Presentations class for the Jesup Scott Honors College through the support of Apple Higher Education using the iPad and MacBook Air.

Before starting a career in higher education, Strukel worked as assistant operations manager, sports director, reporter, producer, anchor and promotions assistant at radio stations in Canton, Dover and Wooster. He also worked as production, program and public affairs director for a station in Clyde, Ohio.

His first education job was as a substitute teacher in the Massillon and Jackson school districts in Stark County. Then he became a special education teacher’s assistant at Shaker Heights High School. As a teacher at Aurora High School, Strukel created the career-technical video broadcasting program and received the Omicron Tau Theta Distinguished Leadership Award in 2004. He received a Wal-Mart Regional Teacher of the Year Award in 2006 after being nominated by his students.

Strukel was one of seven distinguished alumni honored last month during an awards ceremony at Kent State.

With just more than one week at UT, Demond Pryor already considers himself a Rocket.

Pryor

“The beauty of the campus and the kindness of everyone I’ve met have just bowled me over,” said the new director of the Student Recreation Center. “I’m getting a full immersion in Rocket culture, and every day I’m finding more that truly excites me.”

Pryor joined the Division of Student Affairs Nov. 3 and brings a professional history that includes his most recent position as director of facility operations at Central Michigan University. He also coordinated facility operations for campus recreation at Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Mich.

He comes to the Student Rec Center a time when the facility — which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year — is undergoing upgrades and renovations based on the evolving needs of its users. In addition to improvements in carpeting, lockers and windows, new weight equipment machines have been added. After input from rec center patrons, renovations to an existing space were made to create a gender-neutral family locker room and restroom.

“The recreation facility at Central Michigan is just about the same age as UT’s,” Pryor noted. “So I fully understand the need to keep ahead of the curve as far as both cosmetic improvements and deep updating.”

He added, “We know that the rec center is important to student recruitment and retention, and keeping student-centered will be key to all our future decisions. We want to make sure that our recreation programs as well as our facility meet the needs of students — and of the rest of the University community.”

Dean of Students Tamika Mitchell, who oversees the rec center, said, “I’m excited to have Demond join us and bring his wealth of experience in managing multiple facilities on college campuses. As we continue to improve the UT rec center for today’s savvy students, Demond’s background will provide direction and implementation.”

The University of Toledo will hold an online “Black Friday” sale for men’s and women’s basketball tickets Friday, Nov. 28.

Tickets for the men’s basketball game vs. Chicago State Saturday, Dec. 6, and the women’s game vs. Idaho Saturday, Dec. 13, will be available for just $3 when ordered online and using the promo code “BLACK.”

Tickets for the men’s game are in sections 201 and 207. Tickets for the women’s game are general admission.

All tickets are based on availability and can be ordered online from Friday, Nov. 28, through Sunday, Nov. 30, at midnight.

Dr. Joseph E. Slater, the Eugene N. Balk Professor of Law and Values in the College of Law, was inducted as a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.

Slater

He was elected by colleagues in recognition of his sustained outstanding performance in the profession.

“Joe Slater is an outstanding and popular teacher and is nationally known among scholars and practitioners as one of the top experts in the country in labor law,” said Daniel J. Steinbock, dean of the College of Law. “This honor only reinforces our pride in having him on our faculty.”

The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers was founded in 1995 as a professional association to honor leading labor and employment attorneys and has evolved to become an important resource for labor and employment law issues.
Election as a fellow is the highest recognition by one’s colleagues of sustained outstanding performance in the profession, exemplifying integrity, dedication and excellence.

Slater has been a member of the UT law faculty since 1999. He teaches Torts, Labor Law, Public Sector Labor Law, and Employment Law. Before joining the College of Law, he practiced law for more than a decade in Washington, D.C.

He is a graduate of Georgetown University (PhD), the University of Michigan Law School (JD), and Oberlin College (BA). He is a member of the Labor Law Group.

Slater is the co-author of a new book titled Mastering Labor Law, which was published by Carolina Academic Press this fall, as well as the co-author of two casebooks.

Dr. Reginald F. Baugh has dedicated his life’s work to improving the field of otolaryngology, and he recently was awarded for his contributions.

Dr. Reginald Baugh, right, received a presidential citation from Dr. Richard Waguespack, who was president of the American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery at the annual meeting in September. This photo is copyright 2014 by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.

“It’s actually very humbling to receive such a recognition from your peers that think your efforts made a difference,” Baugh said. “Certainly I thought they did; that’s why I continued to invest my time over the years.”

Baugh, UT professor of otolaryngology, was awarded a presidential citation at the annual meeting for the American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. It is the largest meeting for otolaryngology in the world with 12,000 attending from all over the globe.

Though Baugh has retired from performing surgeries, he continues to teach and create guidelines for the profession. His mission is to improve the quality of care and patient safety.

He has been involved with quality improvement and patient safety efforts with the American Academy of Otolaryngology for most of the last 20 years. He chaired the tonsillectomy guidelines for the organization as well as the Bell’s palsy guidelines, and co-chaired the guidelines for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

All of the guidelines are multidisciplinary and include the best treatments. Unlike many others, the guidelines he writes include what doctors should not do, rather than just what they should.

“Whether they recognized me or not, I would have done the same thing if I had to do it all over again,” Baugh said. “But it was nice to be recognized. It was very humbling.”

Going forward, Baugh is working on a patent for a machine to help patients with mechanical receptor sensitivity. He also is planning to study tonsillectomies because they have a one in 15,000 mortality rate and he feels that he can help prevent 20 to 30 of those deaths per year.

In collaborative partnership with Lamar Outdoor Advertising, the College of Communications and the Arts is accepting submissions for the third annual Digital Billboard Art Exhibition.

The exhibition will feature selected student artwork as part of the regular rotation of advertisements displayed on multiple billboards throughout Toledo during January and February.

“Artist have been using billboards to display their work for a long time, and we want to help students gain access to these type of opportunities available to them in cities like Toledo,” Barry Whittaker, UT assistant professor of art, coordinator of new media design practices, and director of the project, said.

Students from all majors in the College of Communications and the Arts are encouraged to submit up to five images by the 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, deadline.

Submissions should be sent to utoledoart@gmail.com, with name, address, phone number and the department of major. Images entered must be in the following JPEG format: 1400 x 400 (width by height) at 72 dpi. Submissions not following this guideline will not be accepted.

A three-person faculty panel will choose the winning artwork to be displayed based on the aesthetically pleasing, positive and uplifting nature of the image and how different the work is from traditional advertisements seen on digital billboards.

During the first year of the exhibition, the project and students won the 2012 Achievement in Digital Art & Design Award from the International Digital Media and Arts Association.
Artwork selections from that year can be found at utole.do/billboard.

The Office of Student Financial Aid is accepting applications for the 2015 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship.

Undergraduate African-Americans who are U.S. citizens and enrolled full time or part time at The University of Toledo are eligible to apply.

The application deadline is Wednesday, Dec. 3, and materials should be submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid in Rocket Solution Central, Rocket Hall Room 1200.

Applicants must have a 2014-15 Free Application for Federal Student Aid on file in the Office of Student Financial Aid and completed a minimum of 30 semester hours by the application deadline.

To be considered for this scholarship, a completed application form, along with two letters of recommendation, one from a professor or instructor, and two essays must be submitted.

Selection criteria for the scholarship include grade point average, extracurricular activities, civic or community service, professional goals, financial need as it relates to all resources available to attend UT, and an interview.